Automating social media marketing is something that can split opinion, and it is all because of a common misconception. When some people think of automation, the first thing that comes to mind is a cringe-inducing automatic response sent to new followers. We’ve all seen it – it usually reads something like ‘Thanks for the follow. Visit our website for details of our new product.’ It just looks awkward and cold. Followers may even find it, off-putting. However, when automation is done right, the casual observer will not even know that it is happening!

Key Considerations When Deciding to Automate

Before implementing some form of automation for social media marketing, several things need attention. Some of the key questions that need answers include:

Why Do You Want to Automate? – Is the decision to automate based purely on saving time or are there other factors influencing the decision?

Are You Still Going to Check Your Accounts Manually? – Automating social media marketing does not mean that you can schedule posts then walk away. It is still necessary to be present and manually engage with followers by interacting with them in the comments.

What Takes up the Most Time? – Repetitive tasks that are eating away at productivity are best automated.

The Benefits of Automated Social Media Tasks

Lots of advantages are associated automating social media. One of the most valuable being the extra time freed up by scheduling posts in advance. When content is scheduled ahead of time, it leaves more time free for other aspects of social media marketing including responding to comments and interacting with the online community. Automation also makes it easier to manage repetitive tasks required on a daily or weekly basis. Saving time is always attractive as it allows the focus to shift onto other work.

When Automation Goes Wrong

As already noted – it is not possible to schedule automated social media then forget about it. It is important to make time to monitor the accounts and check in regularly. There are certain times when automation is not advisable nor is it well received by followers. One example would be automatic responses to new Twitter followers. Internet users are savvy enough to recognize a generic message, and it looks lazy.

Dos and Don’ts of Social Media Automation

To summarize, here are some of the dos and don’ts of automating social media tasks:

Do automate scheduled posts

Don’t automate Twitter Direct Messages

Do automate evergreen content

Don’t automate comments or likes on social posts

Do automate content curation via trusted RSS feeds

Don’t automate posts across several networks

Social Media Marketing can be time-consuming, and automation is an excellent way to streamline the process. Save time on repetitive tasks and schedule content for added efficiency. However, do not rely on automation for everything, it is important to strike the right balance.